Governor for steam-engines



(No Model) T 2 Sheefis-Shee1s 1. E. J. ARMSTRONG. GOVERNOR FOR STEAMENGINES. No. 570,307. PatentedOctfiZ'T, 1896.

l/WE/VTOR ATTORNEY.

' WITNESSES:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

" E. J. ARMSTRONG.

GOVERNOR FOR STEAM ENGINES. No. 570,307 Patented Oct. 27, 1896.

i I WITNESSES: v u a r INVE/VT'OI? UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

EDYVIN J. ARMSTRONG, OF OSVVEGO, NEW YORK.

GOVERNOR FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

IsPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 570,307, dated October27, 1896.

Application filed December 26, 1895. Serial No. 573,350. (No modeld T0aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN J. ARMSTRONG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oswego, in the county of Oswego and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Governors for Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to governors for steam-engines; and it has forits object to provide means whereby the engine may be made to governabsolutely steady and to run at exactly the same speed when loaded aswhen running light, or to increase the speed of the engine when morework is given it; and it consists in the parts and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is aperspective view of a fiy-wheel governor provided with myinvention; Fig.2, a vertical longitudinal section through thefly-weight; Figs. 3 and 4:, similar sectional views showing differentpositions assumed by the secondary shifting weight in the weight proper,according to the distance the latter is from the center of the engine;Figs. 5 and 6, 1011- gitudinal vertical sections through the weight of amodified form of my invention, and Fig. 7 a longitudinal verticalsection of another modification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout all the views.

A represents the fly-wheel, which is suitably secured to the main shaftof a steamengine and to one of the spokes of which an eccentric B ispivotally secured by an arm, as is usual, so that the eccentric may havea free lateral movement across the shaft of the engine. The eccentric isalso provided with an arm a opposite its pivotal point, to which isconnected one end of the weight-leverbby means of a link 0, said leverbeing pivoted to one of the spokes of the fly-wheel and carrying on itsother end a fly-weight O. The weighted end of the lever 11 is connectedby means of a flexible strap cl to the free end of acentripetally-acting spring 6, the other end of which is secured to theinner surface of the rim of the fly-wheel, as clearly shown.

Referring to the diagrammatic views, the fly-weight will assume theposition shown in Fig. 2 when the engine is running light, and

when the full load is thrown on the engine the fiy-weight will movetoward the center of the engine, as shown in Fig. 3, and thereby shiftthe eccentric over, so as to let in more steam to carry the increasedload. While the engine ran light its speed was, say, three hundredrevolutions per minute, but the in crease of load caused it to runslower, say

two hundred and ninety-five revolutions per minute. It is evident thatif the fly-weight could bemade lighter with theincreased load the enginewould run up to speed agaimnotwithstanding the increase of load underwhich it is working.

Now it is the purpose of this invention to practically and automaticallydecrease or increase the effective weight when needed during the runningof the engine by the simple device of changing or shifting the center ofgravity of the fly-weight nearer to or farther from the pivotal point ofthe weight-lever to meet the conditions under which the engine isworking. This may be accomplished by forming a chamber f in the shape ofa quad rant, in which is arranged a secondary weight consisting, in thisinstance, of a short cylinder g, of solid metal, so that the same maymove back and forth from end to end of said chamber. The movement of thecylinder, however, should be slightly retarded by filling the chamberwith oil in order to prevent the engine racing.

The quadrantal chamber f is so formed that for any position which thefly-weight proper may assume in its movement toward and from the centerof the fly-wheel there will be a point of equilibrium which the cylindergv will seek. Thus with the engine running light the cylinder will be ator near the outer end of the chamber f, where the additional weight ismore effective, as shown in Fig. 2. With a full load on the engine theweight will seek the opposite end of the chamber, as shown in Fig. 3,thus lightening, practically, thefly-weight and bringing the engine upto speed again, or, as shown in Fig. 4, the weight may come to rest atthe center or midway the length of the chamber or at other pointstherein between center and .ends, according to the conditions to be met.

Another form of this invention consists in the use of a fluid as thesecondary or shifting weight. In this form, as illustrated in Figs. 5and 6, two chambers 71 are formed in the weight proper, whichcommunicate through the passages 71, so that the fluid may either flowentirely into one or the other of said chambers or be equally dividedbetween them, depending upon the position of the governor-weightrelative to the center of the wheel, as will be readily understood, thearea of the communicating-passages 1' between the chambers being smallin order to prevent too rapid flow of the fluid, which would produceracing of the engine. Still another method of accomplishing the sameobject is shown in Fig. 7, in which the secondary weight D is pivotallyconnected to the plunger-rod m of a dash-pot E, secured on the weightlever or arm F. In this instance the secondary weight is securedpivotally to the lever F by a link pivotally connected to a horn. or armprojecting from the weight-lever, as shown, and it is obvious that themovement of the secondary weight will be retarded by the dash-pot,

which acts in conjunction with the weightlever as a fly-weight and itseffective weight increased or decreased in a manner similar to theoperation of the device hereinbefore described.

Having thus d escribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, -is

1. In a centrifugal governor, the combination, with a pivotedfly-weight, of a secondary weight adapted to move toward and from thepivotal point of the fly-weight, said movement being in such an are thatfor each position of the fly-weight there will be a corresponding pointof equilibrium which the secondary weight will seek, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a centrifugal governor, the combination, with a pivotedfly-weight, of a second ary weight adapted to move in an are toward andfrom the pivotal point of the fly-weight, and means for retarding themovement of said secondary weight, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I ELfllX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDlVIN J. ARMSTRONG.

Vitnesses:

J. F. BEALE, II. M. STERLING.

